Archive By Section - Opinion

As a Vietnam veteran and a resident of Liberty County, where so many trees have been planted in recent years in memory of fallen warriors from Fort Stewart, I took a special interest and satisfaction in the recent success of our U.S. military taking down enemy No. 1 in the war on terrorism, Osama bin Laden.

May 16, 2011|
By State Rep. Al Williams
Special to the Courier
|Opinion

Editor, Osama has assumed sea temperature. How long will it take for the liberals in the media and around the country to condemn America for killing the world-famous religious leader and honorable man, Osama bin Laden? They may be silent for a day or two, but soon they will praise the evil man as misunderstood or justified in his terrorist actions.

Each year since 1969, the federal government has spent more than it has taken in from taxes, causing the United States Treasury Department to borrow to keep up with Congressional spending. The federal fiscal year starts Oct. 1 and during the first four months of this year, the treasury has had to borrow $169 billion just to pay interest on the borrowed money.

Normally, an uptick in the unemployment rate would not be considered good news. But it is a peculiarity of the economic recovery that April's increase in the unemployment rate from 8.8 percent, a two-year low, to 9 percent is actually cause for optimism.

The annual countywide planning workshop attended by local officials is a necessary and useful tool. Getting leaders of the community together to discuss problems, devise strategies, and prioritize specific goals is an exercise that has paid dividends for Liberty County and other communities that have similar retreats. Many communities, like Liberty, hold these annual retreats out-of-town in an effort to focus clearly, without interruptions.

Editor, As summer is fast approaching it is now time for the ice cream truck to start coming around to the neighborhoods. As owner and operator of The Ice Cream Truck (orange and white van) I would like to address some safety issues that I have found disturbing.

Do you ever wonder what is in your water? I do. Even with a water filter at home, I still get a little suspicious of where my water has been and what it has gone through. I think I have seen too many things over the years at these cleanups around our waterways.